Frederick de Cordova Movies
Entering films as a dialogue director in 1944, American director Frederick De Cordova quickly established himself as a man who made films quickly, inexpensively and entertainingly. A cursory glance at the list of De Cordova's films would lead one to believe he was handed all the unworkable projects in Hollywood and told to make them sparkle. In Universal's The Desert Hawk (1950), DeCordova had to direct Rock Hudson as a villain, Jackie Gleason as Aladdin and Joe Besser as Sinbad. The result was one of the better films of this singular genre. In Here Come the Nelsons (1952) DeCordova was expected to make viable movie stars of Ozzie, Harriet, David and Ricky; he did it. And in the immortal Bedtime for Bonzo (1951), DeCordova took the potentially disastrous combination of Ronald Reagan and a trained chimp and came up with a delightful, wholly credible heredity/environment comedy. As a TV director, De Cordova had some of the most capricious and contrary personalities in the business eating out of his hand. He managed to wrangle an apology from a temporarily temperamental George Burns, weathered a dark mood from Jack Benny by simply matching Benny's long silences, and survived nearly two decades with the virtually unapproachable Johnny Carson. Only when handling Ida Lupino and Howard Duff in the '50s TV series Mr. Adams and Eve was De Cordova unable to maintain a peaceful set; even here, however, the end result suggested that all was sunshine through the shooting schedule. In 1988, De Cordova wrote his autobiography, a masterpiece of diplomacy titled Johnny Came Lately. In the 1990s Fred De Cordova continues to be very active as a TV director. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1988
In ALF's most offbeat episode, the obstreperous little alien subs for Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show. It doesn't take long for ALF to alienate Johnny's announcer Ed McMahon and Tommy Newsom, but the "fun" really begins when he matches wits with guests Joan Embery, Dr. Joyce Brothers and Rich Little. All these shenanigans serve as clever method to present a "clip" show comprised of highlights from past ALF episodes. Originally telecast as a one-hour special, "Tonight, Tonight" has since been edited into two half-hours for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1947
In this frothy, star-studded Warner Brothers outing, tightwad tycoon Jonathan Turner, believing himself at death's door, gives star-struck movie buff Jane Barker a million bucks. Problems begin when Jane's hubby, an aspiring writer, finds out about her new fortune. Marital turmoil ensues causing Jane to launch divorce proceedings. He in turn begins demanding alimony. The situation seems at a permanent impasse until the Turner miraculously recovers and decides he wants the money back. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Hutton, Joyce Reynolds, (more)
Forget what you've been led to believe: Bedtime for Bonzo is a most enjoyable film, and Ronald Reagan is not outacted by the chimpanzee. Reagan is cast as psychology professor whose reputation is sullied by the fact that his father was a convict. To prove that environment rather than heredity dictates a man's personality, Reagan uses Bonzo the chimp to test out his theories. The hairy little guy seems to be responding to the kindnesses lavished upon him--and then he is accused of robbery. Reagan nearly goes to jail in Bonzo's stead, but everything turns out all right in the end (we're not giving anything away; after all, everybody knows that there was a Bonzo Goes to College in 1952). While it's an uphill climb, Ronald Reagan and his able costars Diana Lynn and Walter Slezak manage to keep Bonzo from running away with the picture. And yes, director Fred DeCordova is the same guy who produced Johnny Carson's late-night show in the 1980s and 1990s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diana Lynn, Walter Slezak, (more)
- 1952
Bonzo Goes to College is the one that Ronald Reagan isn't in. The focus, of course, is on brainy chimpanzee Bonzo, who escapes a seedy sideshow and hides out on a college campus. Here he is adopted by Betsy Drew (Gigi Perreau), the daughter of nonplused professor Malcolm Drew (Charles Drake). Eventually, Bonzo joins the football team, and becomes the star player. A pair of bad guys kidnap Bonzo on the eve of the Big Game, but it isn't difficult to guess how things will turn out. More gimmicky than its predecessor Bedtime for Bonzo, Bonzo Goes to College is constructed more along the lines of Universal's "Francis" pictures (except that Bonzo doesn't talk). Outside of the chimp, there are a few good supporting performances by Maureen O'Sullivan as Drew's wife, Gene Lockhart and Edmund Gwenn as Betsy's feuding grandfathers, and young Jerry Paris as one of the crooks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maureen O'Sullivan, Charles Drake, (more)
- 1950
The Buccaneer's Girl of the title, played by Yvonne de Carlo, is Deborah McCoy, an entertainer who's been around a bit. While visiting New Orleans, Deborah falls in love with aristocratic Frederick Baptiste (Philip Friend), who turns out to be a pirate. Baptiste is basically a decent fellow: his piracy is aimed exclusively at the crooked shipowner who destroyed his father. Deborah is a bit more mercenary, hoping to marry into wealth by posing as a high-born lady. By the seventh reel, however, she's perfectly content to settle down with the raffish Baptiste. Though played tongue-in-cheek, Buccaneer's Girl never resorts to "camp": it invites the audience to laugh with the film, rather than at it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yvonne De Carlo, Phillip Friend, (more)
- 1953
Audie Murphy is suitably cast as cavalry lieutenant Jed Sayre in Universal's Column South. Stationed in Navajo country, Sayre has a pretty good understanding of, and rapport with, the local Indians, but his new CO Lee Whitlock (Robert Sterling) is of the "only good Indian is a dead Indian" school of thought. Eventually Sayre is able to make Whitlock see the light -- and, as a bonus, he gets to romance Whitlock's sister Marcy (Joan Evans). Further complications arise when Confederate General Storey (Ray Collins) hatches an underhanded scheme -- one that will potentially cost many innocent lives -- to force the cavalry troops to join the Southern cause when the Civil War commences. Of interest to modern viewers is the presence of Dennis Weaver, here cast as Navajo chief Menguito. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Audie Murphy, Joan Evans, (more)
- 1951
A curious toddler creates trouble when he finds bank robbers' loot in this comedy. His recently paroled father, and his grandmother about have heart attacks when the tot brings home the cash in his wagon. Unfortunately, the babe is unable to tell then where he got the money. Now the family must decide what to do with the hot loot. The mother wants to burn it. The grandma wants to keep it. The parolee decides to take it to the police without his family's knowledge. Trouble ensues when the crooks show up looking for the dough. The two-year old finds granny's gun and shoots the robbers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Ewell, Julie Adams, (more)
- 1948
Deanna Durbin's career was clearly on the downswing when she starred in For the Love of Mary. Durbin plays a switchboard operator at the White House, whose hiccuping spells throw several incoming special-interest callers into a tizzy. The President himself cures Durbin of her hiccups, thereby becoming entangled with the girl's various romances. She, in turn, finds herself neck-deep in numerous political intrigues. A forgettable comedy with disposable songs, For the Love of Mary turned out to be Deanna Durbin's last picture. The onetime mortgage-lifter of Universal Pictures was tired of the Hollywood grind and of fighting a losing battle with her fluctuating weight; thus she retired to France with her director-husband Charles David. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Deanna Durbin, Edmond O'Brien, (more)
Not a remake of the 1934 Helen Morgan vehicle of the same title, Frankie and Johnny stars Elvis Presley as Johnny, a Mississippi gambler, and Beverly Hillbillies regular Donna Douglas as his girl friend Frankie. In keeping with the old ballad, the romance of Frankie and Johnny is threatened by the intervention of seductress Nellie Bly (Nancy Kovack). Nellie brings Johnny luck at the gaming tables while Frankie sees red. Frankie and Johnny was written by onetime Marx Brothers contributor Nat Perrin and directed by future Tonight Show helmsman Fred de Cordova. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elvis Presley, Donna Douglas, (more)
- 1946
This Warner Bros. programmer stars Dane Clark as Prohibition-era columnist Don Corwin and Janis Paige as speakeasy singer Georgia King. Corwin is in love with Georgia, but she has promised herself to disreputable gambler/gangster Steve Maddux (Zachary Scott). With the repeal of Prohibition, Maddux's high-rolling days come to an abrupt end, leaving poor Georgia high and dry. But through it all, Corwin has remained faithful and true-blue. The film scores on a nostalgic level, with its colorful recreation of the Roaring 20s and its denizens. Otherwise, Her Kind of Man is rather tame stuff, with the stars looking somewhat ill at ease with their roles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dane Clark, Janis Paige, (more)
- 1952
Fresh from radio and TV, "America's Favorite Family" stars in Here Come the Nelsons. That's right: this harmless little comedy is purely a vehicle for Ozzie, Harriet, David and Ricky. Since there must be a plot, the scriptwriters contrive to have Harriet uncharacteristically express jealousy over the presence of Ozzie's former schoolmate Barbara Schutzendorf (Barbara Lawrence). Meanwhile, Ozzie seethes when handsome young Charlie Jones (Rock Hudson) pays a bit too much attention to Harriet. To prove that he's still got what it takes, Ozzie competes against Charlie in a rodeo held in honor of the town's centennial (this sort of plot device usually happened to David or Ricky on the TV show). For no reason other than there are extra reels to go, little Ricky is kidnapped by a pair of bank robbers, played by Sheldon Leonard and Ed Max. Here Come the Nelsons was directed by Frederick De Cordova, whose other credits for Universal included such deathless entries as Bedtime for Bonzo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ozzie Nelson, Harriet Nelson, (more)
Bob Holcomb (Bob Hope) is a widower who worries about his teenage daughter JoJo (Tuesday Weld) in this light romantic comedy. He doesn't care much for JoJo's boyfriend Kenny (Frankie Avalon) because the smooth operator has a motorcycle and some money. Bob manages to get his company to transfer him to Sweden, which effectively separates Kenny and his daughter. JoJo adapts to her new surroundings and starts to date Erik Carlson (Jeremy Slate), an idle playboy and lothario. All of a sudden, Kenny seems all right by Bob, who tries to convince him to come to Sweden and fight for the woman he loves. Bob's new flame Karin (Dina Merrill) is less-than-sympathetic to Bob's babbling about the double standards he sets for his daughter. Maudie Prickett plays a man-hungry spinster, and the musical group The Vulcanes help out with some of the feature's 12 songs. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Hope, Tuesday Weld, (more)
- 1949
Long before he became producer/director of The Tonight Show, Fred DeCordova helmed the Universal meller Illegal Entry. Howard Duff, who later worked with DeCordova on the TV series Mr. Adams and Eve, stars as Bert Powers, an undercover agent for the U.S. Department of Immigration. While attempting to bring a vicious gang of alien smugglers to justice, Powers falls in love with Anna Duvak (Marta Toren), a gang member who is Not What She Seems. The film leaves no cliché unturned, not even the familiar scene wherein the airborne smugglers dispose of their human cargo by way of a handy lever which causes the bottom of the plane's passenger section to drop out. Illegal Entry is staged in semi-documentary fashion, maintaining the then-prevalent tradition of such popular films as House on 92nd Street and Call Northside 777. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Howard Duff, Märta Torén, (more)
- 1994
Over 50 minutes of the best of Johnny Carson from the '60s and '70s. Featuring the title Heeere's Johnny segment. Highlights include "Tonight Show" cast members, Doc Severinsen and Ed MacMahon. Also included are famous episodes featuring Pearl Bailey and Johnny singing "Our Love Is Here to Stay;" the infamous marriage of Tiny Tim and Miss Vicki, Ed Ames throwing a tomahawk. and both Jay Leno's and David Letterman's first appearances on the show. ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Over 50 minutes of the best of Johnny Carson and "The Tonight Show" from the '70s and '80s. Includes the hilarious segments known as the Master of Laughs from the series. A must-see for any Johnny Carson or "Tonight Show" fan. ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Still having withdrawal symptoms for the consistently funny and original "Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson? Remember the laughs with this entertaining video which includes the title skit The King of Late Night from the '80s and '90s timeframe of the show's 30-year successful run. ~ Laura Mahnken, All Movie Guide
- 1951
Katherine "Katie" Standish (Ann Blyth) has been raised in a restrictive small town by her prudish Aunt Priscilla (Elizabeth Patterson). When Katie heads to New York to help out her improvident Uncle Nathaniel (Cecil Kellaway), she experiences an emotional and romantic awakening. The catalyst for all this is Greenwich Village artist Peter Van Arden (Mark Stevens), much to the dismay of Katie's nerdish hometown fiancé Stuart Grumby (Craig Stevens). The film's finale would be repeated with variations in 1967's The Graduate. Katie Did It was amusingly assembled by Frederick De Cordova, Universal's resident all-purpose director, who went on to produce and direct The Tonight Show during the Johnny Carson years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Blyth, Mark Stevens, (more)
- 1951
Little Egypt is a lighthearted "biopic" all about the hootchie-kootchie dancer who created a sensation at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. An incongruously redheaded Rhonda Fleming plays Izora, a cabaret dancer in old Cairo. American impresario Cyrus Graydon (Minor Watson) hopes to re-create an authentic Cairo street at the World's Fair, and to that end he ties up with fast-buck promoter Wayne Cravat (Mark Stevens) and a self-styled Pasha (Steven Geray). Graydon's plan is fulfilled, with one slight alteration; along for the ride is Izora, posing as an Egyptian princess. At Cravat's behest, Izora performs a belly dance at the World's Fair to draw in customers, resulting in a tempest of outrage stirred up by local blue-noses. Amusingly, while Little Egypt--aka Izora--is arrested for indecent exposure, by 1990s standards she is most modestly garbed; in fact, the audience never sees her famous bejeweled belly button. Perhaps realizing that no one could take this concoction seriously, the producers of Little Egypt wisely opted to play for laughs--and got them. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Stevens, Rhonda Fleming, (more)
- 1947
Jack Carson and Robert Hutton make a curious but copacetic comedy duo in the Warner Bros. musical Love and Learn. The stars are cast as Jingles and Bob, a pair of would-be songwriters hoping to get a break on Broadway. Along comes Barbara Wyngate (Martha Vickers), a wealthy young woman who hopes to make it on her own in the Big Apple. Hiding her true identity, Barbara helps the boys behind the scenes without their knowing it. Inevitably, Jingles and Bob clash over Barbara's affections, a problem that isn't resolved until the last possible moment. Craig Stevens, TV's future Peter Gunn, is featured in another of those "stuffed shirt" characterizations in which he was then specializing at Warners. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Carson, Robert Hutton, (more)
- 1997
While being interviewed on film by Paul (Paul Reiser), great-uncle Marty (Shecky Green) ruins the shot by dropping dead. Marty's garbled final words ("Hummus?" "Cow Moos?" "Hey Miss?") touches off yet another crisis in the Buchman family. Amidst a veritable smorgasbord of famous guest stars, episode director David Steinberg garners some of the biggest laughs in the role of a long-winded rabbi. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1950
Peggy Brookfield (Diana Lynn) is one of many aspirants for the position of Queen of the annual Tournament of Roses in Pasadena, Calfornia. Also competing is Peggy's sister Susan (Barbara Lawrence). Both girls make the trek from Ohio to Pasadena in the company of their father (Charles Coburn), a retired professor. Peggy would seem to have the advantage in the contest, save for one small drawback: she is secretly married to Johnny Higgins (Rock Hudson), and the rules clearly stipulate that the Rose Queen must be single. And that's just one of the many comic complications packed into Peggy's chucklesome 77 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diana Lynn, Charles Coburn, (more)
- 1947
The 1931 George Arliss vehicle The Millionaire was updated and retailored in 1947 as That Way With Women. Sidney Greenstreet plays the old Arliss role as automobile tycoon James P. Alden, forced into involuntary retirement by his well-meaning wife Minerva (Barbara Brown) and family doctor Harvey (Howard Freeman). Anxious to get his hands grimy with good honest work once more, Alden assumes the identity of family gardener Herman Brinker and takes a grease-jockey job at the corner gas station run by pugnacious Greg Wilson (Dane Clark). It so happens that Wilson, unaware of Alden's true identity, has fallen in love with Alden's snobbish daughter Marcia (Martha Vickers)-and though she won't admit it, she's crazy about Wilson too. The plot thickens when a group of corrupt local-government officials, in league with Marcia's duplicitous fiance Carter Andrews (Craig Stevens), use underhanded methods to force the honest Wilson out of business. As an upshot, the flustered Alden, still posing as Brinker, spends a night in the hoosegow. Eventually everything turns out OK, permitting Sidney Greenstreet to give out with his trademarked gravelly chuckle. More slapstick-oriented than the original The Millionaire (which was based on a story by Earl Derr Biggers, of "Charlie Chan" fame), That Way With Women was perfectly attuned to postwar audience tastes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Herbert Anderson, Charles Arnt, (more)
- 1964
This short-lived 1964 series ran on ABC, and marked crooner Bing Crosby's second foray into network television after a 1954 variety show. Unlike its predecessor, this one was a conventional sitcom; it starred Crosby as Bing Collins, a onetime singer who had years ago left show business to live a quiet life as an electrical engineer, supporting his wife Ellie (Beverly Garland) and children. Bing could never quite escape from the limelight, however, as Ellie herself nurtured showbiz aspirations and thus brought about continual reminders of the life her husband had left behind. The couple had two very different daughters: 10-year-old Janice (Carol Faylen), a brainiac little girl with an intellect which suggested that she might be better suited for university life; and Joyce (Diane Sherry), a 15-year-old adolescent very much into boys. Willie Walters (Frank McHugh) was the handyman who, oddly enough, lived full time with the Collins family. Bing typically sang at least one number on each episode. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bing Crosby, Beverly Garland, (more)
- 1948
This musical tells the tales of two movie extras who abscond to an expensive resort with their costumes and pretend to be aristocrats. Included in the film are ice skating numbers and songs. Songs include: "The Friendly Polka," "Count Your Blessings," and "Who Believes in Santa Claus." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sonja Henie, Olga San Juan, (more)
